


gay&lonely

by barrybinary



Category: DCU, Green Lantern (Comics), The Flash (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Fluff, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-06-18 02:23:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15475419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barrybinary/pseuds/barrybinary
Summary: Hal Jordan, Green Lantern of 2814, comes to save the day in a poorly named restaurant outside of Central City. What will he do when a mystery man helps him, then disappears from one of his constructs?Like any normal, well-adjusted person, he stalks the shit outta him.





	1. Pete's House Of Munch

Another day, another crisis for the Green Lantern to solve. Normally, it would be a crisis for The Flash seeing as it takes place in — or around; it seemed to be on the outskirts of the town — Central City, but Flash hasn’t shown up to say anything about him interfering and Hal doesn’t want to let innocent people die just to avoid stepping on the speedster’s toes. Though, from what he gathered, Flash wasn’t so territorial about Central City as to let people die who could have been saved. Plus, it wasn’t as though he’d flown in to steal Flash’s thunder. He’d been in Central, looking around the area where the Rogues were recently apprehended when he got wind of a hostage situation in an old-timey restaurant. 

The restaurant in question was in a building that almost looked like something out a movie set in the Old West, high ceilings and wooden exterior pointing to this being a  _ very old _ building. Buildings surrounded it on either side, but they were all spaced far enough apart, letting him know he was in an older and less used part of Central; however, it could even be a different town altogether, explaining why Flash wasn’t showing his face. (But, Hal also doubted Flash would let people die because they were a mile out of Central.) 

Hal peaked in through one of the windows; while he wished he could run in smiling like usual, when hostages were involved, one couldn’t run in guns blazing — that would be a sure-fire way to get a civilian injured unnecessarily. While casing the area, he noticed there wasn’t anything worth going to jail in here for. No faces that rang familiar enough in that way you know could be used for ransom. There were three masked men corralling a group of 15 people, and one masked person holding a gun to a young, blond man’s head. 

_ That’s why no one’s tried anything…  _

Even with guns, four people against 15 — 16 if you include the one with a gun to his head — isn’t good odds. But if there was a person’s life at stake? Someone whose eyes you could look into and know that if you moved, they’d have their brains splattered onto the floor beneath them? Yeah, that was a good incentive to keep everyone still. 

Still, what were they here for? This was a local restaurant, not much of a money-maker from the looks of it. The customers wouldn’t be worth robbing and risking jail for. What did they  _ want? _

Paying closer attention, he noticed the tremors in the masked men’s hands. Even the one holding the gun to the hostage’s head was shaking, albeit less so than the others.

Hal floated around the building, nodding at the police stationed outside to let them know he had it under control. He wasn’t as well-known in Central, but he guessed just the fact he looked like he knew what he was doing and he was flying was enough to let him know he was a superhero. 

Now on the other side of the small restaurant, he could observe the person at gunpoint. Expecting a shaking and tearful mess, his eyes widened when he caught sight of the man. He was relaxed, looking at the ground with his hands behind his head. Some people reacted to stressful situations by freezing and panicking internally — which he thought may have been the case — but the smooth lines of his face, relaxed shoulders, and steady breathing told him this hostage was perfectly calm. 

He noticed one of the gunmen holding a phone up to his ear, his body language growing even more tense as his mouth moved under the mask. These guys didn’t seem to have much guts; Hal was looking forward to punching them with his giant, green construct fist. 

The windows were far enough up to avoid broadcasting the green glow of his suit across the restaurant, but the man at gunpoint spotted him anyway. 

It was quick, so quick that if Hal hadn’t been looking directly at him, he wouldn’t have caught it. Bright blue eyes looking directly at him, eyes you would expect to be accompanied with furrowed brows or even tears, but Hal knew, looking at him, this man believed himself to be in no danger. 

One of the staples of the Green Lanterns was to  _ have no fear,  _ and in this moment, Hal truly wondered why the ring sought him out instead of this man. Completely calm with the barrel of a gun to his temple. 

The hostage looked to the back of the room, where the cooks would be taking everyone’s orders before they sat down, and Hal followed his gaze. Upon first glance, he saw nothing besides haphazardly put away food and a pile of cellphones, presumably all the hostages’. He looked back to the man who met his gaze and the man slightly jerked his head to the same place.  _ Alright, random hostage. I’ll give that area another good looking at.  _

He was glad he took that extra look, because what was partially hidden behind the counter was a pile of various explosives, enough to blow this shitty restaurant off the map.

Yeah, enough sitting around. It was time for action. 

First order of business: get rid of those explosives. 

—— 

Barry Allen was having a decidedly terrible time at  _ Pete’s House Of Munch _ . He was tempted to give it a bad Yelp review when this was over out of sheer frustration, but the workers of  _ Munch  _ didn’t deserve that, and it was likely he’d feel guilty about bad-mouthing a small local business for the rest of his life. 

Even if it had a name as stupid as  _ House Of Munch. _

No, the food there was good, Pete was probably a very nice man — if he actually existed — and the service had been alright. Barry’s frustration was aimed towards the man who’d grabbed him before even he had seen him and shoved a gun to his head in the middle of the restaurant, effectively leaving him no option but to go along with it and be the best hostage ever. He was unable to do anything but check his surroundings and take note of anything that could be of help. Faster than anybody else could tell, he could turn his head and check the corners and other windows for threats. Green Lantern was in the window behind him, seeming to survey the area; did he notice the shaking of the gunmen’s hands? Their sweat soaked foreheads? From the angle he had, he probably couldn’t see behind the counter, and Barry couldn’t turn around slow enough he could see without alerting everyone else that he was moving at speeds a non-meta shouldn’t be able to reach. 

He noticed Green Lantern coming into view in the window, slow as molasses compared to the speed Barry’s brain was working in.

“How long do we have to be here? The Flash hasn’t shown his face. Maybe-” The man was cut off by a loud yelling at the other end of the phone, loud enough to hear but not clear enough to parse what they were saying. But that was the only thing he needed to figure out this was a distraction for something  _ bigger. _ Barry’s mind raced through the possibilities until he remembered the new tech S.T.A.R. labs had recently acquired; all of it tech that had been taken from supervillains once apprehended. 

The tech was taken from his usual Rogues, all of their gimmick-y weapons having been taken from them when they entered Iron Heights and given to S.T.A.R. labs to dismantle and examine — the goal being to create a weapon to neutralize the Rogues’s. And the transport for the weapons was scheduled today.

If it were the Rogues, though, there would be no killing. And Cold wasn’t one to hire pawns that didn’t know what they were doing for a distraction. 

So… A copycat group? One that didn’t have the special weapons of the Rogues but the money for high-grade explosives?

Seemed to be the most likely option, and it let him know that he was needed in town  _ now.  _ He’d taken a run to the neighboring town of Pendle out of sheer boredom, wanting something new in his daily routine. It was a risk to use his speed to run into Pendle for lunch, but as long as no one saw him.

Pendle was an old, old town; first inhabited in the 1800s and flourished until Central became a trade center and built an airport used by everybody in the nation for layovers, and where people from the East came when they wanted to move west, but not  _ too  _ west. Now, it was bigger than most small towns, but couldn’t hold a dime to Central. 

Pendle used the same police force as Central, and one of the biggest police stations lay right on the border of the two settlements. This distraction for the Flash would have worked, if he weren’t, well,  _ the  _ hostage. There were 15 other people besides him who were also hostages, but he thinks he deserves the  _ the _ considering he was the one with the gun to his head. 

Barry looked up at the Green Lantern now hovering behind the window, then trained his gaze to the explosives in the back, hopefully letting the hero know of the most imminent danger. A few seconds of that, and Barry looked back up at him to see a confused expression on his face.  _ That mask doesn’t hide much, huh?  _ Refusing to allow himself to feel frustrated, he chanced moving his head in the direction he needed him to look, and felt the answering push of the cold metal against his temple. “Don’t you move; I’m not afraid to kill your ass.” The gunman said in a growl, which would have  _ almost _ been convincing if he couldn’t feel the slight tremor coming from his hand through the gun. Didn’t mean he wasn’t in danger, though. This man had an unsteady hand and a finger on the trigger; if he shook hard enough and that trigger was as sensitive as some, Barry would be shot. 

Well, he wouldn’t be. He would hear the click of the trigger and have plenty of time to move before the bullet was fired, but that would mean giving himself away. These people wouldn’t forget a hostage disappearing before their very eyes, and even if they didn’t live in Central it was best to keep his face hidden when tapping into the speedforce in such an obvious way. 

Green Lantern disappeared from the window after he motioned to the explosives, and Barry couldn’t help but  _ pray  _ the notoriously impulsive man had a plan of action. Barry looked in every corner and listened to every sound, the fidgeting of the gunmen was becoming more noticeable than before. Possibly signaling that it was a time-bomb? Or they had a button to press if the Flash arrived?  _ Or  _ it was to be detonated whenever they were finished securing the weapons?

_ If they’re even after the weapons.  _

A soft glow shown from behind the bar, soft enough to not be seen unless you were looking for it. From where he was situated, he could see the translucent green construct around the explosive lift it slightly off the ground and presumably through the back door. Barry could have cried in relief — the explosives gone and the gunmen none the wiser? It couldn’t be going better.

Then, the Green Lantern burst through the doors.

——

Really, he owed it to the hostage that everything went okay. Had he not seen the explosives before he’d barged in there, he reckoned there may be one less restaurant in this town that may-or-may-not be Central City. 

And it would be amazing if he were _ here to thank _ . 

15 hostages were talking to the policemen outside. 

They were one short, and Hal really didn’t know how he let that happen. One second, he was kicking ass and trapping the man in a construct of a locker (probably not the best decision, but it was the first thing that came to mind) to protect him, and the next, his construct was empty and the hostage was nowhere to be seen. 

He asked every other hostage if they knew who he was or saw him get out, and that’s when he learned that the man wasn’t from around here. The restaurant owner, Jim had never seen him before, (“Is Pete your dad or something?” to which Jim replied “Nah, Pete’s just a good name for a _ House Of Munch _ .”) and no one else had either. The police were confused, too, no doubt asking everyone for a physical description of the man. 

Hal ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up even more than it was previously. The adrenaline from the fight had begun to wear off, leaving his limbs feeling like deadweight and his mind fuzzy. It wasn’t even that bad of a fight, but being shot at always affects you. 

As Hal turned to leave, he felt a small tap on his knee. Looking down, he saw a little girl who’d been in the restaurant curled in her mother’s lap. He remembered her specifically because when he saw them, he’d put one of the thickest constructs he could think of around them. 

“Hello.” He conjured up a photo-worthy smile and bent down. 

Expecting a “Thank you, kind hero! You’re amazing!” he was surprised to hear “I saw the man go.”

His eyebrows rose into his hairline, eyes widening behind the mask. A child wasn’t the best witness, but it was a start. “And how did he do that?” The young girl took a deep breath, then started shaking as though her life depended on it. “Wait— Oh my God, are you okay? What—” He was speechless in his worry for the nearly vibrating child, hands reaching out and hesitating before touching. 

Before he could call to the EMTs, though, she stopped entirely and smiled. “He did that and got out of the green thing!” 

Hal tried to regulate his breathing and said many forms of “thank you”, hoping the child wouldn’t see his quelling panic. It seemed to work since the child smiled, quickly hugged him, then ran back to her parents. “Jesus Christ…” He whispered to himself, putting his hand to his chest to measure his heart rate. Why kids felt the need to explain things in the most panic-inducing ways possible, Hal would never know. 

It was then that what she said actually sunk in. 

He just… wiggled out? Was Hal’s construct that weak?

Had he been any other person, Hal might have left it to that and resolved to make sure it didn’t happen again in the future, but, being him, he  _ knew  _ his constructs weren’t that easy to get out of; they’d been called some of the strongest by the other Lanterns! So, the only conclusion was that the hostage had powers, too. 

Hal was already curious about the Rogues in Central: a group of villains who wielded high-tech weapons that even The Flash had trouble dealing with. They’d been apprehended recently, but the public wasn’t informed of the location of the weapons. 

They weren’t metas — at least, as far as the public knew — but Hal had a feeling that the disappearing hostage was. 

Metas were always a topic of interest for Hal, he may have been chosen and bestowed with one of the most powerful weapons in the universe, but the natural ability to just be  _ more than human  _ was fascinating. Hal shot Carol a quick text:

_ You: staying in Central for a while, investigating somethin. _

He turned his phone off, avoiding any further probing, and flew to Central. The excess amount of free-time he had was gonna pay off.


	2. Uncontrollable Human Vibrator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Green Lantern meets Flash.

Barry was right about the copycats, and the foiling of their plan wasn’t hard, but Barry had to admit if the Green Lantern hadn’t been there, another group of miscreants would have gotten a hold of some of the most dangerous weapons known to man. A group that didn’t uphold the strict code Captain Cold enforced with his Rogues. 

He plopped down on his couch in his small apartment. The old sofa groaned as it took his weight, reminding him of the age and making him consider buying a new one. 

He shook his head at the thought; he didn’t have enough money for another couch with paying for rent, his food needs, and the equipment to work on his suit. He imagined his living room with lawn chairs instead of a couch; maybe bean bags? 

Looking outside, he saw the stars and immediately thought of the Lantern he’d encountered today. The man wasn’t known to be thoughtful, throwing himself into action without much of a care to what happened to him. At least, that’s what every article covering the man said. So, maybe he’d forget about the man who disappeared without a moment’s notice? His jaw clenched, going through scenario after scenario of what could happen if Green Lantern found out his identity and shared it to the world; the world slowed down around him until he saw the images on the TV moving at a glacial pace. He blinked, and it returned to normal. 

Deep breath in, hold it in for three seconds, exhale. Repeat until calm. 

The ticking of his clock let him count the seconds without accelerating, and he let himself be guided by that noise wholly. Thoughts following the simple beat so as not to lose control again.

Deep breath in.

_ Tick, Tick, Tick. _

Exhale.

Accelerating while still was one of the most disorienting things about being a speedster, watching everyone around you slow down as you were stuck in your own head. It had been one of the hardest things to stop when he first gained his powers; now, it only happened without him meaning in times of distress.

He hadn’t been in distress earlier that day, with a gun to his head, and he could tell Green Lantern knew. He’d looked confused before Barry even tried to communicate with him. Barry hadn’t acted like a normal man with a gun to his head; he’d acted like a man who knew he couldn’t get hurt but wanted to help others. Which was the case wasn’t it?

Barry pulled out his laptop and, as fast as the computer could recognize, typed “green lantern” into the search bar. It wasn’t likely people had gathered much information on him due to his secret identity, but maybe there was an interview or two that could give Barry some insight into his character. 

_ Tick…. Tick……. Tick….…... _ He heard from the clock as he allowed his mind to accelerate; he could research much quicker than anyone else, and he planned on taking advantage of that — even if it disoriented him.

His eyes skimmed through article upon article about Green Lantern, unfortunately no interviews showing up, but the first-hand accounts of people he’d saved said he always seemed like a good man, doing the right thing for the right reasons. That calmed Barry down a little bit, his fears still present, but not taking over his every thought. He looked at the clock, noting it had only been ten minutes since he’d gotten home. It felt like hours.

Barry closed his eyes and let himself be logical. Green Lantern was a fellow hero who fought evil and saved people regularly. He wouldn’t give away the Flash’s identity, because that would be going against what he believed. It would be putting more people in danger unnecessarily, and Barry… had more faith in him than that. 

His heart rate finally slowed to normal (for a speedster) and his eyebrows unfurrowed. There wasn’t a reason to panic. With a city of over a million people, it would be near impossible for the Lantern to find him, even if he wanted to. 

\----- 

Hal gave some thought to the situation at hand. Looking over an entire city to find the mystery blond-haired, blue-eyed man seemed like quite the long shot. He didn’t know how many people lived in Central, but from flying over the city earlier he’d seen all the people in the streets and cars, thousands and thousands and there were still so many on the inside of the buildings he couldn’t see. 

His eyes darted around the room of the shitty motel he’d picked for the next week. It wouldn't be a long enough stay to accomplish his “mission”, but paying for the motel had seemed to cement the idea of  _ Well, I guess this is what I’m choosing to spend my time on  _ in his head.

It truly told him how bored he was with his life that he decided to do this. Which, logically makes no goddamn sense; he regularly goes into space and talks to aliens. He is in possession of the most powerful weapon in the known universe that can make anything he thinks a reality. 

But on Earth? What did he have here? Besides an apartment in Coast City that rarely saw him and an on-and-off relationship with Carol? He talked to Ollie sometimes, but besides them, he had no other company. 

Maybe it would be good for him to talk to someone new. Someone  _ interesting. _ Someone who could wiggle out of his constructs no problem. Someone who could keep their cool well enough to help out a hero in a life-or-death situation.

It didn’t hurt that he had a very pretty face and eyes that could kill a weaker man, either. 

Hal sighed, shaking his head to dispell those thoughts before deciding to fly over the city again. He’d stick out like a sore thumb in the night sky, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

\----

It’d been a week since the  _ Munch Incident  _ — as he’d taken to calling it — and according to Barry’s and the internet’s knowledge, Green Lantern hasn’t left Central yet. Every night he saw the green glow in the sky that signaled the Green Lantern’s presence, and he thought it was time for  _ The Flash  _ to ask him what exactly he was doing here. 

It didn’t take long for Barry to spot the hero and even less time to run to where he stood out against the dark night sky. Barry stopped in front of the currently closed shop he was hovering above, thinking quickly about how this could go. 

The Green Lantern had no way to tell he was the same person from The House Of Munch, so there wasn’t a danger of his identity being exposed to this stranger. There was no real  _ reason _ why the man should still be in his city, especially when there was already a hero in Central. 

Barry observed the man floating in the night sky. He was far enough above to have trouble looking for identifying features; besides the glowing suit and matching mask. He seemed to be looking at the city from above, almost completely still, something Barry envied — he was never quite still anymore. Barry understood the lights of a city would probably look beautiful from up above. That’s what he guessed Green Lantern was doing, anyway. Along with scanning for potential danger.

Suddenly, the man looked down directly at him. He knew he wasn’t hard to notice, standing in a bright red suit against the black of the asphalt. Someone trained to pay attention to his surroundings would have found him in around the same time. He added a mental note that GL was observant; at least, enough so that he wouldn’t let Barry sneak too close. Barry gave his best smile and waved, figuring being friendly was the best way to go about this. He’d seen the Green Lantern Ring in action and didn’t want to know how it could counter a speedster. GL started floating down, moving slightly so he would land in the street instead of atop the building. 

Barry grinned.

He waited until the other man was right beside the top of the shop, then he let the familiar feeling of acceleration envelope him, the world slowing down until Green Lantern was still in the sky once more. He shot himself at the wall, the practiced movement of running vertically coming naturally to him and before anyone would have been able to even see him move, he was at the top of the building, standing close enough to the edge for GL to easily spot him. At least, he thought it’d be easy. He heard the other hero mumbled a curse when he realized the spot he’d been looking at was empty. His head whipped around until he caught sight of the rather amused Lantern now only a few feet away from him. 

Barry recognized the expression of a man who wanted to be annoyed but couldn’t keep from cracking a smile, even with the mask obscuring his features. Barry’s posture relaxed at this show of emotion, his hand moving from still at his side to rest on his hip with his fingers thumping against the soft, but strong, material of his suit. 

“I had heard you were fast,” was Green Lantern’s greeting with a smile, probably better described as a smirk. The GL’s posture was formal, his shoulders pushed back and his back straight. It didn’t seem to be uncomfortable or a reaction to a tense situation, Barry noted. A lot of people had proper posture, but anything could help him to figure out his identity if the other were to turn on him. 

Barry shifted to put his weight on one foot. “Yeah, I would say so.” He replied. He could go into a long, detailed explanation of these powers he’s still learning to understand, but that would be a waste of time. Now, it was time to get to why Barry had seeked him out in the first place. “You’ve been in Central awhile, why stick around? Don’t you operate mainly in Coast City?”  _ And outer space,  _ he just barely kept himself from saying.

The Lantern scratched his neck nervously, giving a little laugh.  _ Why is he acting so embarrassed? _

“That’s a good question, I guess.” 

—

Before, Hal had planned his first meeting with the Flash to go differently. That he would be suave, cool, and maybe even hit on him a bit to test if you could see him blush in that mask, but that was not the case. 

He was standing in front of the hero now, having been asked a question he  _ didn’t want to answer _ because  _ how  _ could he explain he was here, taking time off of Lantern work to wander around town until he found the attractive blond that escaped his construct. He didn’t want to explain himself.

Because he couldn’t, so he decided a half-truth would have to do. Hal took his hand away from the back of his neck, just realizing he’d been broadcasting his shame so loudly. “I have nothing better to do than hang around here.” He said with a shrug. 

_ Did Flash just raise his eyebrow under there?  _ “There’s  _ nothing _ else you could be doing? In the entire universe?”

Hal hadn’t noticed before, still surprised over the display of power Flash had given right when they met, but Flash’s voice wasn’t natural. It sounded… Odd. Projected in ways a non-meta wouldn’t be able to do without a voice modulator. Curiosity overtook him and he blurted out in characteristic Hal fashion, “How do you make your voice sound like that?” 

Flash took a small step back, mouth turning down to a frown and his hand leaving his hip to seeming absentmindedly rub at his throat through his suit. 

“I can vibrate my vocal cords differently than other people.” Was his hesitant sounding explanation. Hal wondered if he told everyone who asked that, or if he was just special. Truthfully, he wanted it to be the latter. 

Hal smirked. He leaned towards the speedster, watching as Flash stood a little straighter. “So, you can vibrate, huh? Must have been a wild ride figuring that power out.” As flirtatious as his tone was, he almost expected Flash to disappear before his very eyes like he knew him able to do. However, Flash’s eyebrows furrowed (from what he could see, with the cowl and all) and tilted his head. 

“It wasn’t that difficult, just can’t drink caffeine anymore.” 

“So, what?” Hal crossed his arms over his chest, getting as close to eye contact as possible with his mask on. “You just turn into an uncontrollable human vibrator if we feed you a coffee?” 

Hal took two steps back in surprise as the Flash barked out a laugh. “I- Uh,” He covered his mouth with his hand, trying to stifle his laughter and failing, “-never thought about that.” He managed between laughs. His voice hadn’t been disguised, Hal noticed, but with his laughing, he still didn’t get a good idea of what his natural voice sounded like. 

Looking at the blush that showed on his cheeks though, he decided he didn’t mind that at all. 


	3. Buildup

Barry woke with a start, his phone blaring the ringtone he’d set for his boss. 

With a look at the time, Barry groaned. Four AM and he was being summoned, which could only mean a homicide —  probably not even an hour old.

“Barry Allen,” He mumbled into the phone as a greeting.

The rest of the conversation was exactly as Barry expected; a murder scene laid only a few blocks away from where he lived and they needed forensics on the scene  _ twenty minutes ago _ , apparently.

Sometimes, purposely making himself late for things was a pain. Especially when he was ready to go out the door less than a moment after the call ended. He was already dressed in his casual clothes; a button-up with well-fitting khakis. Iris sometimes gave him shit about the way he dressed, but he didn't have  _time_ to color coordinate and all that jazz. _Khaki goes with everything._

Luckily, there were things he could do while he was waiting for the perfect time to arrive. They knew he was always late; it was a staple of the Barry Allen identity. Something he’d always done before he got his powers, and conveniently a good cover now. 

Barry speed-changed into his Flash costume, his phone left on the table as he ran out, feet hitting the ground faster than others could even comprehend as he patrolled the neighborhood. 

Even after expanding his search to the rest of the city, he discovered nothing new. Disappointment flooding through him, he let his feet carry him to the crime scene at an agonizingly slow pace compared to the speed of his previous trek across town. Watching people now move at the same pace unbalanced him; his chest felt empty and his mind went numb at the sudden change. 

God, he hated being woken up so early. 

“Finally!” His boss’s voice snapped him out of his mindless walking. “Get to doin’ your thing, Allen; we don’t have all day.” 

Sighing, Barry got busy taking any samples that could be of use, as well as walking around the crime scene to get a vague idea of what happened. 

He brought out a notebook to write what he thought, pen gliding over paper only  _ just  _ a bit faster than a non-meta could manage. It didn’t matter if some — _all_ the letters were connected. 

_ Wallet gone, no form of I.D. Needle marks in the crooks of his elbows. Knife wound in chest. Killer was experienced or lucky since it slid through his ribs…  _

_ Drug-addict in debt?  _ was his final note, circled three times. With a sigh and exhaustion threatening to cloud his senses, he put his notebook back in the pocket on his shirt, along with all of his writing utensils. They shifted in his pocket, pens clacking together and Barry almost winced at the sound this early in the morning. He knelt down to his work case, making sure everything was secure to prevent the sensitive materials from being damaged. 

The prospect of having to test these things and work all day on roughly three hours of sleep made Barry want to quit and crawl back into bed under his covers, but, looking at the man murdered on the side of the street, he knew he wouldn’t be getting sleep for a good while. 

Central was a pretty decent city, the crime rate not too high for the amount of people that lived there; probably due to the lack of gang violence. Yet, since it was a densely populated city, there were still frequent enough murders that even a speedster couldn’t stop them all. 

He understood that even he couldn’t be everywhere at once and he couldn’t stop every murder, but it was hard not to feel that way sometimes. The only other hero he’d met was Green Lantern, and he didn’t know him well enough to predict his feelings on that. A part of Barry told him that every hero would feel something similar, like the whole world rested on their shoulders, but another part reminded him that everyone was different. Even if they both put on masks and fought for others, it didn’t mean they were alike.

He frowned and stood up from his spot on the ground, carrying his case with him. Most of the detectives left the area a few minutes ago, Barry recalled hearing something about coffee (if only he could indulge in that).

A shiver ran down Barry’s spine, his eyebrows furrowed together. Since becoming The Flash, he’d gotten a much better sense of danger, but  _ what could be here now- _

“Need any help with this stuff?” 

_ Oh no. _

Barry’s heart stopped as he registered the voice of Green Lantern talking to someone he could only hope wasn’t him. “The ring can do a lot, maybe it’ll be of some use?” 

Barry turned around calmly, but slowly, making sure to plaster an expression of confusion on his face before doing so. Green Lantern was faced away from Barry, talking to his boss who was still on the scene. It was the perfect time to run, to keep him from seeing Barry, but he was still in his boss’s line of sight. 

He could either expose his secret identity, or take the chance with the Lantern. 

Time to put his acting skills to the test.

——

Hal grinned at the man in charge; he was stir crazy, not many things happened in Central during his time there and he  _ needed  _ to do something. Even if that something was just scanning the area with his ring. 

“Let the police do their jobs, son,” The middle-aged man spit out. His eyebrows were permanently furrowed, a valley of a wrinkle separating them both. Hal almost scoffed at the “son” comment. He may be younger than him, but definitely not young enough to be his  _ son. _

He rolled his eyes, knowing it wasn’t visible under his mask. “Well, sorry for offering to help, I  _ guess. _ ” 

“Boss? I’m done.” A smooth voice called from behind him. Hal looked in the direction of the voice as he prepared to fly away, before canceling those plans  _ immediately _ . 

He found the hostage who escaped his construct. 

The boss was telling the man — police scientist, from the looks of it; his man was  _ smart —  _ something, probably dismissing him, but all Hal could do was look at him. He looked completely normal, maybe even boring, but there was something about him that pulled Hal in, that told him there was more to this guy than the button-up and khakis. The man was looking between his boss and him as he spoke, fidgeting with the latches on his case.

Finally, the man took one last look at him and waved with a small smile before turning around and walking in the opposite direction. He was shaken out of his staring, and then followed the guy quickly. He came to float beside him as he walked, and Hal laughed at the uncomfortable expression the other had.

“Hey,” He called. “I remember you.” Hal landed in front of him, blocking his path on the sidewalk. “You were in that restaurant a few weeks ago.” 

He stopped walking, looking up to make eye contact (Hal felt a small thrill as he realized he was the taller of the two) and said “You’re gonna need to be more specific.” 

Hal rolled his eyes at the police scientist, crossing his arms over his chest at the same time. “I’m not buying the  _ act _ ; you were at the House of Munch.” He kept his voice steady even though annoyance threatened to bleed into his tone. 

He regretted his wording once he saw the spasming of the other’s lips and shaking of his shoulders. “Hou-House of...  _ Munch _ ? That’s so-” He never finished his sentence due to the laughter that spilled from between his lips, and Hal’s heart leapt at the sight of the blond hunched over and covering his mouth, as though that could stop the giggles escaping him. 

“It’s not  _ that  _ funny,” Hal half-heartedly protested, though he almost wanted to start laughing with him, the only thing stopping him being his pride and the small amount of annoyance at the other man protesting what Hal knew to be true. “I know it was you!” His voice rose in a near shout. “I would remember you — you escaped my construct.” The last part an afterthought, to make sure he didn’t get any other ideas on why he might remember him instead of anyone else. 

Not that those ideas would be entirely  _ wrong _ , but…

“Look, I have to get to work. If you want to talk more about it, talk to me later.” The blond side-stepped Hal and began walking away, but Hal took to the air again and flew next to him. 

“What’s your name? Do you think I could get you out of work? I’m sure they’d let you if they thought it was something important with  _ the _ Green Lantern.” 

“My name’s Barry,” The man — Barry, Hal now knew — said while looking up at him, the dead tired look on his face almost making Hal tell him to go the fuck to bed instead of work. “I’m a police scientist for the CCPD, and I wasn’t at this restaurant you’re talking about.”

Barry looked away from Hal, and Hal missed the feeling of those blue eyes on him, even if they were half-lidded and tired. Hal continued flying next to him as Barry walked toward his place of work. Hal kept his eyes on Barry, who would look over at him every so often to check if he were still there. 

By the time they reached the station, Barry looked as though we were dying to get away. “Okay, thanks for walking me to the station,  _ I guess _ , but I didn’t need it. Don’t follow me inside,” He said, his tired eyes from before looking into his with the utmost seriousness. Hal knew he couldn’t see past the white lenses of his mask, but he still felt as though the police scientist could see right through him. 

When Barry turned around to go into work, Hal stopped him. “What time is your lunch?” 

Barry’s shoulders slumped in frustration and his hand came to rub at his eyes as he replied. Hal found it cute he was still trying to make his voice sound calm even though he obviously wanted nothing to do with him. “I take my lunch break at noon, like most other people. Are you happy? Can I work now?” At the last sentence he looked back up at Hal, and he took a moment to scan his face once more. It wasn’t every day you talked to someone as pretty as Barry.

Hal grinned, his teeth full on display and his eyes visibly scrunching up even with the mask covering them. “I’ll see you then.”

He took that moment to make an exit, but not before he heard a groan of exasperation from Barry.

——

Barry was left to ponder that interaction all the way until noon. His work didn’t suffer, his early morning meaning no one else would think to come in the lab for nearly three hours, letting him use his speed as much as he wanted. He flitted around the lab, always making sure to check the clock when he passed it. His anxious energy was being put to good use.  

By eight, he’d done all the necessary tests and filled out all the paperwork for the case that woke him up at four in the morning, and all he could do until something new showed up on his desk was pretend to fill out things while he thought about Green Lantern. 

It was making itself obvious that the hero was staying in Central to investigate the person who got out of his construct, setting Barry’s nerves on edge. He’d already denied ever being at the restaurant, meaning any alteration to the story would only further incriminate him. 

And how he’d have to spend lunch with him, if the other even  _ remembered _ . Barry didn’t know if he’d be more mad if he showed up of if he didn’t, after agonizing about it for so long. 

It was a good thing Flash could finish his patrols in minutes during his lunch break, otherwise, Green Lantern would be keeping the hero from doing what he was supposed to, even outside of his day job. Barry’s phone dinged in the silence of the room, causing a few of the other workers to their heads in his direction. He murmured an apology, loud enough to be heard by the closest people, while looking down at his phone. 

For a terrifying second, he had worried the other hero  _ somehow _ found out his number, but luckily it was Iris. 

_ Iris: When are you getting off?  _

_ You: i get off at the usual time; why are you asking? _

_ Iris: Want 2 Hang. _

Barry sighed, thinking about all the extra work needing to be done as the Flash and how it was likely he’d get more work by the end of the day. Plus, the situation with Green Lantern and how he’d settle that. 

He glanced back at his phone and scrolled through their previous text messages, almost making himself sick when he realized all they consisted of was Iris asking him to meet her and him saying he was busy. For the past  _ month _ . He knew her, and he knew he was lucky she was still  _ talking  _ to him after he’d blown her off so many times. 

_ You: yeah, i can do it; what do you have in mind? _

The typing signal stayed at the bottom of the screen for a long while, making Barry wonder if she was writing an essay or if everyone just typed that slow compared to him. 

_ Iris: Finally! Do you know how long I’ve been trying to get you out? Anyways, I wanna goto the movies! Did you know they’re coming out with a part two of the Incredibles? Do you know how long I’ve waited for this, Barry? Too long.  _

Barry laughed, still on-edge over everything else happening but allowing himself to relax in the face of a good night at the movies. The prospect of something happening during those two hours at the movies caused dread to seep into his bones, yet, he couldn’t control everything, so he breathed evenly to calm his nerves, texting back that he’d be there. 

As he continued pretending to work, the minutes passed by, the hour hand drawing nearer to twelve while Barry’s leg vibrated under his desk until the moment lunchtime came. He put his head in his hands as everyone in the office left, knowing the Green Lantern might be waiting outside for him right now. 

Well, there was only one way to find out.


	4. The "Date"

Hal sat atop the station Barry worked at, his legs swinging back and forth off as they hung off the side of the building. Most citizens didn’t notice things going on above them, but he still got a few odd looks from the ones that did. He was glad the sun shone high and bright above them, somewhat covering his green glow. 

Once noon struck, a dozen or so people exited the station, and Hal watched every single one, keeping an eye out for the blond scientist he knew should be leaving any second now. 

It wasn’t that he was nervous for the encounter, but he did feel as though maybe he’d gone a bit too far in his search and turned it from  _ curiosity  _ to  _ creepy _ . 

He completely forgot his train of thought as he saw Barry walk out, a few seconds behind everyone else, and immediately look up, spotting him and giving a tired wave. A smile split across Hal’s face, betraying his excitement. After weeks of looking for this man, it was only reasonable to look forward to talking to him. Hal came up with theories for how he got out of the locker construct throughout this entire time in Central, but being able to know for  _ sure _ what happened, and to hear it coming from Barry’s mouth, it would maybe make this whole thing worthwhile. Hal already knew he regretted nothing, seeing the blonde looking up at him from below, waiting. 

He wiggled his eyebrows at the blond, laughing when he let out a full-body sigh and shook his head. He motioned for Barry to come up, to join him, receiving a confused look in response and a mouthed “ _ I can’t _ .” He gave a complicated series of hand motions, trying to get Barry on the same page as him, but finally gave up and just made a construct of a sign saying “GO TO THE BACK.” 

Barry threw his hands in the air; luckily no one on the street was looking at him, otherwise they would follow his line of sight and see him on the ledge. He didn’t know exactly what would happen if Barry became a well-known associate of Green Lantern, but he assumed nothing good. For all of his non-verbal complaining, Barry still walked to the back of the station, a thin alley too small for your average car to fit through. 

Hal formed a bubble construct around him, bringing him up to the same level and setting him down on the roof. 

“Are we… not going anywhere?” Barry asked, unsure; Hal smirked at the question. 

Walking closer to Barry, Hal put his arm over his shoulder as though they’d been friends for years and said “Depends. We could go to a restaurant and have the entirety of Central know you’re in  _ cahoots _ with Green Lantern, we could go to your abode and order something, or — and this is probably the best option — I could call an order in somewhere on this street, you hang ‘till it’s done, then pick it up and come back.” Hal’s arm left Barry’s shoulders after he spoke, taking note of the relaxed posture he held. Either he was too tired to care about anything, or he was  _ used  _ to shit like this. If his behavior in the hostage situation was taken into consideration, Hal felt it was the latter.

God, Hal wanted to know more about him. 

“I’d rather not show you to my apartment.” He ran his fingers through his hair, making the unbrushed strands stick up. “I’ll order a carry-out from the pizza place down here.” Barry said with a sigh, already pulling out his phone. A few moments later of clicking and Hal just observing the distracted man in front of him, he put the phone back in his pocket. “Hope you like just regular cheese, and also that you don’t eat as much as me.” 

Hal made a construct chair and fell onto it, immediately making one behind Barry as well and scooting it forward so Barry would fall into it. He made a noise of protest and surprise, arms reaching back to catch himself but instead sinking into the imitation chair. Hal smiled while Barry’s eyebrows furrowed and he looked intently at the construct. “Holy… It’s just like a real chair. Even softer feeling, actually. How does that work?” The subject of Barry’s attention quickly changed from the construct to his ring. 

“It’s my will that powers it: you gotta concentrate and just  _ make  _ it happen. I’m  _ very  _ good at it.” 

Hal remembered he was talking to a scientist when Barry said “Can I touch it?” with child-like wonder in his tone and stars in his eyes as he looked at it. 

Still, the thought of letting this stranger (even though he didn’t feel like one) touch his power ring made him uncomfortable. He shook his head, a finger waving in the non-verbal gesture of “nuh-uh” as he said “Now, I only let people touch  _ that  _ after the fourth date, as for  _ other  _ things, well, that can be negotiated.” A shit-eating grin covering his face, he couldn’t help but laugh when Barry let out an exaggerated groan of annoyance, maybe loud enough to be heard even on the street. 

“So,” Barry started, pausing and humming thoughtfully before he continued. Hal leaned his head on his hand, looking on. “What exactly do you wanna talk to me about? You mentioned something about a, heh,  _ House of Munch _ earlier; you wanna talk more about that?” Hal only nodded his head as an answer. “Well, tell me about what happened, about why you think I was there.” Barry leaned back in the comfy construct as a signal for Hal to talk. 

“I  _ know  _ you were there, dude. Either that, or you have a twin or something equally dumb.”

Barry rolled his eyes, “I’m leaving and getting the pizza without you if you don’t tell me what’s going on.” 

Hal could tell a bluff when he saw one, but he found he didn’t wanna test him — he wanted to keep talking to him. Plus, it wasn’t fair to keep all the details, even if Hal knew he was there, he still probably didn’t know  _ everything. _

“As you  _ know,  _ there was a hostage situation in a really stupid, old-timey restaurant in Pendle. Don’t know  _ why _ they chose such a little place, but who cares, there were hostages and guns and stuff. I was there, outside, looked in and  _ you _ pointed to some explosives in the back.” Barry’s eyebrow went up, “You had a fucking gun up to your head, I doubt you forgot about that.” 

Hal looked at Barry, his eyebrows drawn together and a look of concentration on his face as though he were trying to recall it, but couldn’t. He finally replied, the confused expression still on his face. “So, you’re looking for this man because he helped you? Like, he didn’t do anything bad?”

“I  _ told  _ you this morning that you escaped my construct and that’s why I’m looking for you.” He let frustration seep into his voice, and Barry’s eyes narrowed. 

“Can you blame me for thinking that meant you were looking for a  _ criminal? _ Why would you have a good guy in a construct anyway?” 

“ _ To protect him- I mean  _ you _ , from the gun wielding captors.”  _ He leaned forward, getting closer to Barry to make his voice louder. 

Barry lifted his hand, “Don’t take that tone with me, Green Lantern.” 

That made Hal pause. Then, hidden laughter shook his shoulders, forcing his mad frown into a smile full of teeth. “Are you a mother? Are you secretly a suburban mom?” 

“I- uh-  _ what?” _ Barry couldn’t help but join him in his laughter, and Hal was proud to have caused the  _ very _ previously annoyed man to laugh. He was reminded of his meeting with Flash a week or so back, where he’d also been frustrated then quickly amused at whatever Hal said.

“That  _ sentence _ was such a  _ mom _ sentence. ‘Don’t take that tone with me’ is like a  _ required _ thing to say when you’re a mom — and using my ‘full name’, too." he included air quotes, “You hit all the requirements for a mom sentence.” 

“Green Lantern is your full name?” Barry asked, now breathless from laughter to the point where his words were only barely intelligible. 

Hal nodded vigorously, “You know it. When I came out of the womb my mom said ‘Write Lantern comma Green  _ please.’ _ ” A grin covered his face as he continued “The doctors protested as hard as they could, but  _ nothing _ would stop my mother, even after twelve hours of labor.” 

Hal just watched as Barry collapsed in on himself, leaning over fully with his head on his knees while holding his stomach. “ _ Goddammit, dude. _ ” Hal was able to make out, causing yet another laugh from him. 

“It’s not my fault I’m just such a  _ joy _ to be around.” 

Calming down, Barry’s leaned on his arm propped on his leg. “Well, I don’t think I’m gonna change your mind,” Barry said with a small smile resting on his face, making his eyes appear even softer than usual. “And I’m not going to admit to something I  _ didn’t do. _ So, we’re at a stalemate. What do you want to do?” He shifted a bit in his seat, and Hal briefly —  _ briefly —  _ thought about deconstructing it just to see him scramble to get up from the floor. 

Hal opened his mouth to reply, stopping when he heard Barry’s ringtone. He knew it was likely the pizza place, so that didn’t surprise him, but what got him was the music coming out of the tinny speakers.

“Is that fucking  _ Ice Ice Baby? _ Why would you do that? Now everyone in a ten mile radius is gonna have that stuck in their head for the next  _ million _ years.”

Barry answered the phone, turning away from Hal, although Hal could see his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. “I’ll be there in a minute, thank you,” Hal heard Barry say before hanging up. He put the phone in his back pocket, turning back to say “My friend changed it, I haven’t felt like changing it back.”

“That’s what they  _ all  _ say.”

Barry rolled his eyes, walking away from Hal while muttering “ _ That doesn’t even make  _ sense _. _ ” 

Hal let out a giggle, high on being around Barry and having made him laugh.

Maybe he was a little lonely.

Barry stopped at the edge of the roof, turning back to him and raising an eyebrow. “If you want pizza, I’m gonna need help getting down.” Hal quickly made an elevator for him, watching Barry smile at and subtly inspect the creation. “Be back in a few.”

——

The amount of self-control it took for Barry not to say “Be back in a  _ flash _ ” was phenomenal, to the point where he was almost surprised he  _ didn’t  _ say it. The elevator Green Lantern conjured up was much faster than a regular one, giving you the feeling of stomach displacement that came with riding a rollercoaster.

Barry, once safely on the ground, walked the way to the pizza place. It was only a few buildings down, the walk-time only being about three minutes. Of course, that still seemed like an eternity to the speedster, looking around and taking note of everything around him. He looked behind him, surprised the other hero wasn’t watching him from the station’s roof. He may have been tracking him though, he didn’t know what all that ring could do.

The ability to manifest seemingly whatever he wanted? Barry had never seen anything with that magnitude of power. The constructs felt  _ real _ too, even if they looked like something straight out of a video game. The moment he got to see it work up close without having to worry about running or keeping up a superhero persona, he  _ longed _ to study it. He wanted to just talk to the other man for hours, asking  how it worked, running his fingers along it and putting it on himself. Something like that  _ needed _ to be understood, at least for Barry.

He’s still learning about his powers, new things happening whenever a big fight happens. Another secret power unearthed when just the right amount of adrenaline and speed was used.

His powers, as marvelous as they were, could scare him sometimes.

Barry went into the familiar pizza place, walking out with a large pizza. Barry  _ alone  _ could eat three — much more if he’d ran a lot that day — but while talking to the man who already suspected he was a meta? It would probably be best to keep everything seeming as normal as possible. 

Which means, no monstrously large meals where he could see.

Green Lantern didn’t seem like a terrible person, maybe a little obsessive if you think about the fact he stayed in Central to follow a random guy he thought  _ might _ be a meta, but he didn’t seem mean-hearted. Barry thought he could work with him someday, might even  _ enjoy  _ it. 

There weren’t many people in Barry’s life that could get him to laugh as easily as the other hero did. 

No matter how funny he thought the man was, he couldn’t give away his secret identity. He may not have been a hero for as long as, say,  _ Batman _ , but everyone knew giving away secret identities was the first rule of what  _ not _ to do. 

The idea of giving away his identity to  _ anyone _ terrified him, even if they were a fellow hero. 

He looked up to the roof of the station from the alleyway, waving at Green Lantern from the ground far below. He could barely see his face from the ground, but he looked to be smiling as he leaned over the edge. A glowing green sign appeared, exactly like that last one he’d used to communicate.

“WHAT’S THE PASSWORD?” It read. 

“The password is no pizza for you!” Barry yelled, turning away and running — at a normal speed — with his treasure. 

He got so close to the end of the alleyway, so close to freedom and an entire large cheese pizza to himself, but fate was cruel. He ran face-first into a green wall, realizing a few seconds later that he was now in an elevator going up. 

“You didn’t even  _ guess.” _ Was the hero’s first complaint when the elevator doors opened. Barry couldn’t help laughing at the faux pout on his face. “And now you’re making fun of me, too? When will my torment end?”

Barry sputtered, trying to come up with a response that wasn’t just more laughing, and settled with a fond “Maybe when you shut up and eat the pizza I bought you.” Green Lantern wiped the pout off his face, instead smirking at him. Barry felt his face heat up in response, choosing to look down at the pizza box rather than at the other man. 

A green table appeared, followed by two chairs on either side. Barry looked up at him just in time to see him smile, followed by a candle being placed on the table and a bouquet of roses appearing in his hand. “And for you.” He handed the construct roses to Barry, “I can’t believe I left out roses on our first da-”

“This is  _ not _ our first date,” Barry interrupted, trying to give the roses back to the laughing Green Lantern, but failing. “Please god, just take these, or make them disappear.”

The hero put on one last smile before making the candle and flowers vanish, “I couldn’t help myself with you over there blushing like a virgin. We can eat and you can get back to your science-y duties,” He said, sitting down in one of his chairs.

It was a little bit of a warning sign to Barry that he was  _ flattered _ by the joking display, almost as though he’d wanted it to be real. Not exactly with Green Lantern — even if he liked the guy, he still barely knew him — but with  _ anybody _ . It’d been so long since he was in a relationship, he craved the touch of someone else’s skin on his, even a hug would be nice. 

Maybe… he was a little lonely.


	5. Barry Reads Spirk Fanfic

“How was _your_ day?” Iris asked Barry as they both walked out of the movie; the night sky illuminated by the lights of the city. Barry took a deep breath, thinking of the lunch with Green Lantern and wondering how he could tell her about that, because  _ god _ he needed to tell someone. It was nagging at the back of his mind. Smirks and laughs and construct flowers filling his every thought, space in his head he needed free to think about other  _ important _ things. 

Barry took a deep breath, “You’ll never believe it.”

That caught Iris’s attention, a smile of anticipation and excitement on her face as she said, “ _ Tell me, Barry.” _

He shrugged, “Not sure if you can  _ handle _ it,” He said, hiding his smile by looking to the side Iris wasn’t walking on. 

He felt a little body hit his own, Iris bumping him and saying, “I swear to  _ god _ Barry if you don’t tell me-”

“Calm down!” He laughed out, finally looking back to her. Her shoulders dropped slightly and a smile replaced the annoyed expression that’d previously occupied it. “Of course I’ll tell you.” He paused dramatically, Iris’s eyebrows raising slowly as she waited. Right before she began saying something, Barry finally stated, “I met Green Lantern today.”

“You’re right. I don’t believe you.”

“Okay, okay, so, this morning I was called before dawn even broke. I’d had so little sleep I was almost incoherent.” He didn’t say he hadn’t slept at all during the day, because according to her he’d had two hours before they met up after work. A normal person would have taken that time to nap, but he’d had to run around the city on a delayed patrol since his lunchtime had been taken by a certain hero. It didn’t help  _ at all _ that he hadn’t had all he needed to eat for the day, the only food he had being the pizza at lunch and a special calorie bar before going out. He continued with the story, “And this guy just  _ shows up _ to the crime scene. He’s talkin’ with the chief, and then he sees me.”

“Love at first sight,” Iris commented with a giggle. 

“ _ No."  _ He waved her away.  "Now,  _ anyways, _ he sees me and thinks I’m someone he’s met before. So he starts talking to me and asking questions and I’m like ‘Please just let me do my work, Mr. Space Cop,’” That elicited a laugh from Iris, making Barry smile at her before he continued, “So, he invites me to lunch, and by  _ invite _ , I mean he  _ said  _ I’m going to lunch with him.”

“You went to lunch with Green Lantern?” Her eyes were wide and her mouth parted in disbelief. 

“Yes! I bought him  _ pizza _ !” He said, his hands shaking in front of him with enthusiasm. “You should see the things his ring can do,” Her eyebrows went up, “ _ Not like that! _ His ring creates things out of thin air!” 

“Uh-huh. Was he cute?” She asked, making Barry blush. He hoped in the low light of the street lamps it wouldn’t be noticeable. 

“I wouldn’t call him  _ cute  _ per say,” He started, “But he was a good looking man, I guess.” He wasn’t going to wax poetic about the strong jaw he’d seen, the attractive smile and  _ very _ slight stubble on his chin. That would be ridiculous. 

She gave him a knowing smile and grabbed his arm, “I’m glad you got to talk to him.” 

Leaning into her touch, he said, “It was only an hour we talked, and a good amount was either arguing or eating.”

“That’s how some first dates can be!” His heart beat quicker, but before he could say anything in retaliation, Iris continued with, “You need to get out more, go on dates that aren’t forced by me or a  _ superhero,  _ for Christ’s sake. Why don’t you ask him to go out again?”

Barry gave her a bewildered look, surprised she’d suggest that and confused that she seemed to  _ really _ want it, “How am I even supposed to find him?”

She poked him on the nose, seemingly not caring about the startled and disbelieving look on Barry’s face. “I get the feeling he’ll find you.” She quickly turned after she said that, realizing where she was. “Oh, this is my place.” Hugging Barry, she said, “I gotta go now, but please give it a try.”

Closing his eyes and squeezing her closer, he relished in the contact. It seemed whenever he touched anyone now, he was drinking it in, trying to save the memory of the contact since he knew he wouldn’t get another chance anytime soon. Last time he'd touched anyone like this, it'd been Iris. He sighed, let her go and said, “I won’t promise anything,” but Iris knew that meant she won. 

“Goodnight, Barry,” She said before walking up to the door of her apartment building, unlocking it swiftly and entering. 

Barry needed sleep and food, but the city needed Flash. The man that morning needed Flash, and he wasn’t out there. Making his decision, he walked home at a normal pace before speeding into the Flash suit, and out onto the street he went.

— 

Hal stood above the unmoving form of the Flash.

Upon first seeing him on a rooftop laying down, he’d feared the worst, but then he figured it out.

The Flash fell asleep while patrolling the city. 

Hal sat down next to the other man, having already flown over the city a few minutes ago he knew there were no immediate dangers. Flash was curled over on his side, arms crossed in front of himself as though he wanted something to hold. Hal put a blanket construct over him, if only to make himself feel better.

He didn’t know how long he’d been asleep before he found him, but he was glad it was him. Flash being so foolish as to fall asleep on patrol meant he obviously wasn’t in the best state and would have been vulnerable to anyone with ill-intent. 

Leaning against a construct, Hal pulled out his phone. 

_ You: Coming back 2 Coast, if you have any test flights you need done I am free _

He took a deep breath, releasing it and letting his head rest against the construct. In thought, he closed his eyes.

Lunch that day had been…  _ great. _ It wasn’t often he found someone who could match him in conversation, or someone as smart and cute as Barry. His blonde hair and blue eyes, while a common combination, were entrancing. If Hal could, he would go on and on about the soft yet strong jaw, the wrinkles around his eyes when he smiled, the whiteness of his teeth — but that would be  _ ridiculous. _

He knew It was dangerous to get close to people, and with all the time he spent in space, it was likely any relationships he made would fall apart.

Barry wasn’t worth giving away his identity to yet, but Hal thought… maybe he  _ could _ be, which was more than could be said about most people.

Opening his eyes and looking back down at the other hero, he sat up straight when he noticed him shifting. His mouth turning down into a frown as he brought the construct blanket closer to him. Hal couldn’t help but smile at the movement, but he wiped it off when Flash opened his eyes. 

“Good morning,” Hal said, the blanket vanishing into thin air which seemed to confuse the tired speedster. 

“What…” Flash wiped at his eyes, and Hal smirked at the fact he was so tired he forgot to disguise his voice.

“You fell asleep on patrol, like an  _ idiot. _ ” He scolded him, a little worried despite his annoyance at the other.

“I need…” His voice was still undisguised before he shook his head quickly, the movement blurred from the speed, and said in his “hero” voice, “I need food… and more sleep, probably. I’m a dumbass.”

Hal’s eyebrows furrowed, “You need food? Can you get that when you get home?” 

“I think I’m starving.” At Hal’s look of confusion, he continued, “I need a  _ lot _ more food than other people, kind of to a ridiculous extent, honestly. My powers make my metabolism go through the roof, and now my food bill is sky high.” 

“Man! That sucks,” Hal couldn’t help but exclaim, “People already have to spend so much on food and now you have to eat for a family of fifteen. Alright, whaddya need?" It almost gave Hal whiplash, the sudden change his mood took. But he couldn't help empathizing. Not being able to afford food was already a problem for a lot of people, and this guy who probably didn't have a great paying job was paying out the wazoo for a basic necessity. It pulled on his heartstrings a little, reminiscent to the few times he'd been behind people in line at a store who were short a few dollars, or even pennies. 

"Anything cheap close by? Did you bring any cash?” A sheepish look overtook the other man's facial features, telling Hal all he needed. He should have seen from the tight suit that nothing even resembling a wallet could fit there without being immediately sighted, but he hadn’t been paying attention. Sighing, he said “Okay, but you owe me. Maybe a run around the city sometime." He gave a small smile to Flash, noting how his posture relaxed at the gesture. "Are you picky ? Is anything okay?” The Flash nodded, and Hal gave him a thumbs up before taking to the air and yelling “Be right back!”

It made sense Hal felt at ease with Flash; they were both heroes, fighting the good fight and doing what was right.

It was simple enough to get the cash he carried with him out of his jeans pockets, willing away his uniform above the pocket opening being an easy enough task. He didn’t will the entire thing away, and replaced the missing bit right after. Taking off his uniform or mask here would be a bad idea, so it looked as though Green Lantern would be taking a trip to a mediocre food place at three in the morning. Sometimes Hal wondered what he would do for stealth missions at night since his suit attracted so much attention, but then he remembered he was  _ Hal fucking Jordan _ , and didn’t really do stealth. 

He spotted a small taco place, looking more authentic than a taco bell, but that wasn’t saying much  _at all_ . Either way was fine with him — he was hungry and had a starving speedster on a roof. He wasn’t going to be picky about what junk food he decided to fill his fellow hero with. Shelling out fifty bucks —  _ god, I need to get some more work at Ferris —  _ Hal left the place with an armful of tacos, making a glowing green table for them to rest on as he floated through the air with his many,  _ many  _ tacos.

“You better like Mexican food,” Hal muttered, not even wanting to contemplate eating all of these. He wasn’t hungry at all, but fifty dollars was fifty dollars and he wasn’t going to waste those if the Flash had disappeared in the time he’d been gone. 

Luckily, the tired fool was still on the rooftop, laying on his back with his eyes closed. Hal could tell when he heard him, one eye cracking open before he moved to sit up. He shifted until he was shifting criss-cross, his arms resting on his legs and his big eyes looking up at Hal. Hal couldn’t tell the other hero’s eye color in the dark light, the only illumination being his own green light. It made his eyes a light green, but that didn’t look right.

“Thank you so much,” The Flash said, his appreciation clear in his tone and the relieved smile on his face. Surely he would have been fine even if Hal didn’t find him? There was  _ no way  _ The Flash would’ve pushed himself until he hurt himself so bad he could die. 

_ Right? _

“Next time, don’t fall asleep on a roof,” Hal said, making the table shorter and resting it in front of the Flash.

He had the sense to look sheepish, avoiding eye-contact while one of his hands reached out for the food in front of him. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll make it up to you sometime, okay?” Hal didn’t even have time to process that before the other went to town on the food in front of him, unwrapping the tacos with practiced movements and quickly disposing of the food inside. If Hal were anyone else, he would have felt disgusted at the hero eating tacos in two bites, but instead, he just felt  _ challenged. _ He didn’t even know if his body could handle eating as fast as the Flash, but god, was he going to try when he got back home. 

“You are a  _ saint _ ,” Flash breathed out, resting a hand on his stomach and leaning back once he was done. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” He winked, a smile stretching out on his face as he looked the other up and down. He wasn’t built for strength, though Hal could see a good bit of muscle on his frame. He was leaner, his body definitely made for speed instead of the strength Hal’s muscles were developed for. 

Hal wondered if the ring did something to increase the muscle mass of the wearer, because while he hadn’t been like The Flash, he had definitely been smaller.

“So…  _ next time, _ ” Hal started, pausing for a moment in thought before continuing, “I’m not gonna be around here too much unless it’s because of some villain,” The Flash let out a huff of a laugh, and Hal raised an eyebrow, “So if you did need my help again,” He couldn’t exactly give him his number, that’d be  _ dumb—  _  “How could we contact each other?” 

Flash wore a deer in the headlights look that somehow made this entire night worth it. His light eyes reflected the green of Hal’s suit, making Hal want to know  _ more _ about the man under the mask. 

But, he already had his attention set on a certain blond scientist.

“We could… I don’t know? Make specific Flash and Green Lantern emails? To contact each other with?” 

Hal stared at the man in front of him, his eyebrows pulled together and a smile on his face. “ _ Emails? _ That’s the best you could come up with?” Flash hung his head, his own lips curled into a smile as well. “Didn’t know I was talking to a  _ nerd _ .”

At that, Flash let out a giggle. “Really? Have you  _ seen  _ me?” 

Hal exaggeratedly slapped himself on the forehead. “Of  _ course _ you fell asleep on the job! You were too busy reading Star Wars fanfiction last night to sleep!”

“Actually, it was Star Trek, which is infinitely better. The love story between Kirk and Spock?  _ It’s there. _ ”

Silence filled the air for a moment, followed by Hal’s laughter. “I  _ was  _ joking about you being a nerd but now… now I know you aren’t only a nerd, but a gay nerd.”

Hal could see the muscles in the other’s shoulders tensing, and before he could blink, he was gone.

Hal quickly cupped his hands around his mouth, yelling, “Not in a bad way!” He gave a little pause before yelling into the night again, “I’m bi! I’m not bullying you, dude! It was an  _ affectionate  _ ‘gay nerd!’”

No response, which was about what Hal expected. Sighing, he started flying to get his stuff ready to get back to his apartment, wondering if he’d ever be able to talk to The Flash again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> he freaked it
> 
> a comment my friend starchaser22 made:i live for hal exclaiming his gayness on top of a rooftop at 3am


End file.
